


Into the new year

by Myulalie



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Clubbing, First Kiss, First Meetings, M/M, Meet-Cute, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:14:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28463667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myulalie/pseuds/Myulalie
Summary: Alec didn't think he'd take part in the typical smooch fest that is New Year's Eve... and then he meets Magnus.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 48
Kudos: 104





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happy new year, I wish you all the best ♥
> 
> You can tweet me at **#myulalie**!

The nightclub is pulsing with unspent energy as the seconds fly past, drowning in the music. People stand still, yet there is some movement going on here and there as men and women shift closer to their preferred counterparts to welcome the new year. The lights are bright, flashing past familiar faces from college and the neighboring stores and cafés.

Alec stands a little bit to the side to give his sibling some privacy. Isabelle and Jace found someone to kiss at midnight, of course they did. He towers over the crowd — the beat heavy where it rings in his ears and echoes in his chest — not quite sure he wants to stay in the middle of a smooch fest. Who is going to wish him a happy new year if they’re all shoving their tongues down someone else’s throat?

He makes to leave when another man steps away from a group of friends. Soft fingers brush against Alec’s wrist and he looks up to find sparkling eyes and a shy, shiny smile. There are streaks of green and blue in his quiff, charcoal hair swept up artfully on top of the stranger’s head. This man is beautiful, Alec can’t help but think as he takes in the mostly unbuttoned golden shirt, tucked into leather pants that look painted on the glitter covered partygoer’s legs.

Alec blinks and snatches his hand away from the stranger to push dark strands of hair away from his sweat covered forehead. The partygoer follows Alec’s movement with hooded eyes, and eyeliner makes his slanted eyes somehow sharp as he focuses intently on Alec’s tall stature.

Isabelle didn’t give him a choice when she pushed too tight jeans into his hand earlier that night, and his shirt turned out to be Jace’s, slightly too small where it strains on his shoulders. Alec kept his leather jacket on because he can’t afford the cloakroom, nor the waiting line to get in and out of said room. The stranger doesn’t seem to mind.

“Ten, nine!”

The lights flash and the infamous countdown echoes madly, the digital voice distorted over the music. Alec peers at the glitter covered partygoer, bronze jewelry tangled with the buttons of his shirt left undone on his naked chest.

“Eight, seven!”

“I’m Magnus,” the not so stranger anymore yells over the noise.

“Six, five!”

“Alec,” the brown haired student replies, ducking his head.

“Four, three!”

Magnus is in Alec’s space now, his skin brown quartz, swirling with smoke where the light throws moving shades, in the dip of his throat and the arch of his collarbones. Their chests brush and Alec shivers when Magnus grips his waist, his touch feather light yet firm. Alec notices a peacock feather dangling from Magnus’ ear cuff, and a diamond stud on the other ear, then his eyes flutter shut.

“Two, one!”

Magnus’ cheekbone is soft in the palm of Alec’s hand. He tastes sugar and coffee on Magnus’ lips as they kiss into the new year.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barely a few minutes after midnight, and Alec has already messed up his resolution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's make it 2021 words ;)

_Earlier that night_  
Going out was Isabelle’s idea, and Jace was immediately on board, of course. Their group chat exploded with notifications as Alec’s siblings debated on the best place to go, and eventually decided on Pandemonium to celebrate. Jace grabbed them beers from their mini-fridge to get the party started and Alec winced when he took a sip of his. The usual, because New Year’s Eve or not, he was never the kind to go out.

Isabelle rocked up to the dorm room Alec shares with Jace and pushed clothes in Alec’s arms with a look that could kill, so he ducked into the bathroom without protesting. The room is small, with barely enough space for their two beds and matching closets, Alec’s overflowing with the compound bow hanging from the open door. The bathroom isn’t much fancier, but Jace keeps it extremely clean and it’s good enough for Alec. It’s much better than Alec’s first roomate.

Alec spent his first two years away from his family, as he started college before Isabelle and Jace, with a slob for a roommate, and Alec wasn’t much better when it came to cleaning after them both. Alec was busy, finally free to explore this side of himself he never got a chance to see before. He had never hooked up with anyone in high school, and while he graduated with honors, he can feel some sort of gap between him and Jace, even Isabelle sometimes. Away from his oppressive parents though, he made doe eyes at every boy he saw, and never got much further than a first date.

The thing is, Alec has one resolution for the new year: not get his hopes up every time he locks eyes with another boy, or they smile back at his polite nods. It’s a difficult endeavor, because Alec takes too long to ask people out, and by the time he does, he has this image of them they can’t quite meet. 

Alec has high expectations, and he doesn’t know how to lower them.

He’s not much kinder with himself though (Alec has high hopes for his future too), so it seems safer to nip his infatuation in the bud rather than following the same old pattern. If Alec can’t wait to see people for what and who they really are, he might just as well cut his loses as soon as possible.

Which leads him to _now_.

Magnus is a good kisser, and he chases after Alec’s lips when they break away. Alec can’t leave him hanging, so he leans in once again, and they kiss some more. The slide of Magnus’ lips against Alec’s is like a drifting cloud, wet and ever so soft. Alec is walking on air, and he licks at the addictive taste of sugar and coffee on Magnus’ tongue with a quiet hunger. It’s Magnus who moves away this time, before nuzzling his face into Alec’s hand with a sigh.

“Happy new year,” he mouths between them, in the uproar of best wishes.

“Happy new year,” Alec whispers back.

Up close, Alec can see the flecks of gold in Magnus’ eyes, and the peacock feather brushes against Alec’s knuckles when they move. They don’t step away just yet though, and Alec shivers when Magnus presses a kiss to the palm of his hand. 

Barely a few minutes after midnight, and Alec has already messed up his resolution. He knows he shouldn’t try his luck with guys that are way out of his league, but Magnus is here, flush against him still. Soft music plays slowly around them, enticing enough that they’ve started swaying in each other’s arms.

Alec catches sight of Isabelle and Jace whispering conspiratorially to each other, but his siblings don’t dare interrupting him. He will never admit it, but he finds Isabelle’s outfit a bit weird, a cropped shirt with a short skirt, all white and plastic like. Most men around them don’t seem to mind, but Alec can’t wrap his mind around it. He wonders if Jace gets it, but doesn’t have any intention to ask. Jace would mention it to Izzy at some point, and she would give him a lecture about fashion he doesn’t care much for.

There is no trace of their new year kiss buddies and Alec can’t help but feel slightly smug that he managed to snag Magnus and keep this gorgeous man in his arms for more than a few seconds.

Magnus, whose head rests on Alec’s shoulder. Alec really can’t believe his luck, and no matter his good resolutions, Alec got his hopes up already. Magnus’ friends don’t look in any hurry to retrieve him either, so they keep close even as the music picks up.

Maybe that’s where Alec can try to hold his resolution and break the pattern. He steps away, determined to do something while he can. If he lets go of Magnus now, Alec fears it will be too late to get to know him when they bump into each other again. Plus, Alec will build a complete fantasy of Magnus in his head and end up disappointed when they meet up.

Magnus follows him easily when Alec gestures to go around the bar. There are booths on the cat walk, and the music is almost down to a tolerable level where they take a seat. Magnus grabs a paper towel to rub at the wooden table, but gives up when the layer of sticky alcohol doesn’t disappear, leaning eagerly with his elbow on the towel instead. It stretches his shirt wide open to leave his chest on display and Alec forces his eyes up to look at Magnus’ face.

“Alexander,” Magnus starts, light flicking off the rings on his fingers, “should I be worried about your friends? They’re glaring.”

“It’s Alec, and don’t worry about my siblings.”

Magnus nods slowly, and looks almost disappointed that Alec doesn’t favor his full name. Sparkly eye shadow flashes on his eyelids when he blinks, and the peacock feather dangles from his ear as he moves. Magnus doesn’t leave, to Alec’s irrational relief (why would he?).


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Alec hold onto his resolution?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! Thanks to Lalelilolu for beta-reading bits and pieces of this and listening to my whining as I made this 2021 words ♥

Alec shifts on the vinyl bench, glancing to the table between them. He’s so used to his parents using his full name to scold him, Alec is not sure he could shake the tension off his shoulder if Magnus were to call him Alexander. Brownie points to Magnus for working it out on the first try though, Alec allows and tries to smile, speaking up again.

“Aren’t your friends going to worry?”

He glances at them, a woman with bright blue dreadlocks and ebony skin, a short man with boyish looks and a suit that is too sharp for a night out at Pandemonium, and a tall blonde with some sort of horns in his hair. Alec almost expects the last man to have a devil tail poking out of his pants too, but he’s only wearing a tweed suit with the blazer thrown over one arm and most of his shirt unbuttoned, not unlike Magnus.

“Nah, they know I can handle myself.”

Magnus winks, and Alec forgets to breathe. Resolutions be damned, Magnus is gorgeous and now that they’re talking, and Alec is discovering this man faster than he can build up his expectations. Magnus leans back against the bench, and stretches his legs beneath the table to hook his foot with Alec’s, all the while fiddling with the signet rings on his hands, spelling “M” and “B”.

Alec is suddenly reminded of the leather pants Magnus is wearing, and doesn’t know where to look anymore. He feels Magnus’ eyes on his neck, where stark black lines stand out, a tattoo that, combined with Jace’s and Isabelle’s makes for a wild flame, their family emblem.

“So, what’s your new year resolution?” Magnus asks, stretching his arms over the back of the bench.

It’s a gorgeous sight and Alec’s throat goes dry as he tries to think. He forgot all of his resolutions the moment Magnus moved. Spread out like that, Magnus looks every bit the wet dreams he seems to come out of, and nothing like the friendly pharmacist around the corner, as he described himself to Alec when they talked about their respective jobs and studies. 

Alec doesn’t care much for the age difference between them, and knowing Magnus is out of college already is comforting, he won’t have to face the other boy everyday if things go wrong. And they might, with what Alec is about to do.

“I want to be bold,” Alec wets his lips before going on, “actually I’ll give this a try right now. I’d like to see you again, would you like to get a drink some time?”

Magnus’ lips tilt up into a smile, teeth flashing like a moon crescent in the dark backdrop of the club. He rubs his ankle against Alec’s calve affectionately and gestures for Alec’s phone, where he saves his contact details. Alec can barely believe his luck as he retrieves the phone and shoves it in the pocket of his leather jacket.

Happy new year indeed.

**Author's Note:**

>  **I take prompts!** Follow me [on tumblr](https://myulalie.tumblr.com/post/637141364802469888/string-of-pearls-and-prompts) and get in touch, my ask box is open ♥
> 
>  **On feedback:**  
>  “<3” as extra kudos are fine by me. Short comments give me just as much of an adrenaline rush as longer comments because my email notifications don’t discriminate! I give as long as I get (*coughs* read: I reply at length) so you decide if we’re having a quickie in the comments or if you’re taking me out on a date to have an actual conversation ;)
> 
>  _Constructive criticism is welcome_. Please bear in mind that while I will take it into account, I will not rewrite a story that has already been published. I’d rather incorporate relevant feedback (read: concrete examples and suggestions as to how to address the element in question) into a new work and write a different take on the same plot! Once again, I give as good as I get ;)
> 
>  _You are not, by any means, required to comment if you don’t want to_. I will publish every chapter of a complete story no matter the response to it. Find some more thoughts and tips on commenting [on my tumblr](https://myulalie.tumblr.com/tagged/commenting), I make moodboards for my fics too, if you want to follow me :D Happy reading ♥


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